Leonid Slutsky accepts he needs more time to understand his Hull City side as a faltering Championship campaign waits to be ignited.

City fought from behind to draw 1-1 with fellow strugglers Sunderland on Saturday but it was another performance that left scope for improvement.

Not until changes were made at the interval did the Tigers come to life, earning a deserved point through David Meyler’s 82nd minute equaliser.

“I try to understand the possibility of each player and how it can be better and how they behave in stressful situations,” said Slutsky, whose City side sit 17th in the Championship table.

“Of course, for this, I need time. I must watch everyone in difficult moments – if they have patience, if they can continue when tired. This information is difficult to understand without watching a lot of matches.

“Now I am like a sponge. It’s all information coming in and I think sometimes my head will break. There is so much information, research and analysis about each player and formations. Really, I’m satisfied because our substitution changed the match but I’m disappointed because maybe I made some mistakes with my decision before the match.”

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Meyler was initially dropped to accommodate Markus Henriksen in City’s midfield and the Norwegian’s withdrawal at half-time, along with defender Michael

Hector, was greeted by ironic cheers from some supporters.

Henriksen is struggling to make his mark on City’s season but Slutsky insists his side’s first-half failings were not down to one player.

Asked if Henriksen was struggling for confidence, the head coach said: “This is difficult because I don’t like to speak about individual mistakes from players. If we play not good, it’s everybody’s problem – especially mine.”